So maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that Ward holds Finnegan in high esteem, despite the battles they’ve had over the past four seasons.

“I love everything about Cortland, his little tenacious defense,” Ward said. “He is always going after guys in run block or passing and whatever. I remember the one game we played down there, I scored a touchdown and he laid a pretty good hit on me. He is a little feisty guy.

“I like him because he plays with a chip on his shoulder, a young guy with great talent, coming out of a small school trying to prove himself. You can see that each and every week he gets out on the field. It is always a tough challenge going against Cortland.”

Ward says there are similarities between his game and that of Finnegan.

“He has a little nastiness, a little dog in him. I like that,” Ward said. “Every time I watch him, I kind of smile. We are still competitors. We are going to go out there and compete and at the end of the game shake hands and wish each other good luck and go on about our business.”

Any trash-talking between the two?

“We don’t trash-talk each other,” Ward said. “The respect factor is there. Like I said, I just love the way he plays the game. He doesn’t take a lot of stuff from a lot of people. You like that in a guy.”